Fear of dismembered dolls

Ok, everybody will probably agree that it's not the nicest sight of all, but I have a humongous fear -- or phobia I should say of dismembered dolls, especially doll heads... This makes me panic, I get completely incoherent with fear and makes me want to die to free my mind from the sight and the thought of it.

This goes all the way back to my early childhood. I can't remember where and when it first started and what triggered it, but I've been scared of them for as long as I can remember.

On the other hand I love dolls. I read in other forums that some people are scared of dolls thinking they'd come alive and all that. In my case it's just the dismemberment that freaks me out and not the actual dolls.

For this very reason I always played nicely with my dolls as a kid so they wouldn't break. But then I'd visit friends and see dismembered dolls in their rooms. They were all so comfortable with it that some of them would even swap their barbies' heads and bodies. I would just look away, try to act normal. I couldn't ever tell about this to anyone.

My parents knew about it, because they were the ones to fix my dolls when they broke accidentally. They thought it would go away when I'd grow up, and probably think it did go away. But I'm still scared to death.

The reason why I'm writing this and looking for some serious help is because I'm 30 now, and my husband and I are talking about having a baby. As much as I would want to have a little girl, I wonder how I would deal with the sight of dismembered dolls in the house. I'm praying for boys, just for that reason...

I need help. Please share your thoughts and advices with me!

Thank you!

Hello portamivia,

It's interesting that you can't think of any triggering event, maybe you were genetic predisposed to your phobia.

Have you ever received any medical help for your disorder or had any therapy?

No, I never got any professional help with it. At some point, when I was 20 or so I had spoken to a psychoanalyst to see what he had to say about it, but he was like "if it's not a problem that you encounter on a daily basis it's nothing to worry about." And it was true for that time. I very rarely come across such sights in my adult life. But now it worries me knowing that I would have to live with it if i had a daughter.....

I told my husband about it briefly. I don't think he understood the magnitude of my fear. He already thinks dolls are creepy in general So that didn't help either....

I'm wondering if I'm the only one out there with such a fear, or if there are thousands of others. It's such a silly phobia that I'm sure people would be embarrassed to talk about it even if they had it.

I'm sure that there has to be someone else out there with that fear. You'd be surprised at some of the things people are scared of. Anyway, in my opinion, you should go see a therapist or someone because you want to have a baby. Because if you do happen to have a girl, it may be a "problem that you encounter on a daily basis" and it'd be a good idea to get some help.

I have exactly the same phobia. With me it's doll heads, especially small ones. I'm in my thirties now and it's getting worse. I can no longer look at one on tv, let alone in real-life. We have a baby daughter and I just don't know what to do! I'm not scared of dolls, but I just can't remember or think why I have such a phobia. It seems to be dictating/destroying my life. Is there a cure or even a simple explanation?

p.s I'm new on this forum

I used to think I was the only one too. I've been afraid of dolls heads since I was really young. i think mine was triggered after seeing the Chucky movie Child's Play. Ever since I've been scared to death of them. I played with dolls and everything was fine but when their heads were off I would scream and cry if someone dangled it in my face. I once had a life size doll when i was between 5 and 7. My uncle knew i was afraid, so he took the head off and chased me around the yard. I was crying and screaming. I was really mad at him too. I look back and i laugh at myself. but I'm still scared. I'm 20 now

portamivia wrote:The reason why I'm writing this and looking for some serious help is because I'm 30 now, and my husband and I are talking about having a baby. As much as I would want to have a little girl, I wonder how I would deal with the sight of dismembered dolls in the house. I'm praying for boys, just for that reason...

I think you have it backwards, my charming lady.... It's the boys that will be the problem when it comes to doll dismembership! Boys are horrible like that! My brother would purposely trick me so he could break all my things, rip up my stuff. Boys are much more likely to cause that kind of trouble. Root for a girl, k?